This research examines the Tree Investigators project to support science learning with mobile devices during family public programmes in an arboretum. Using a case study methodology, researchers analysed video records of 10 families (25 people) using mobile technologies with naturalists at an arboretum to understand how mobile devices supported science talk related to tree biodiversity. The conceptual framework brings together research on technological supports for science learning and research on strategies that encourage families to engage in conversations that support observation and
The goal of this formative study was to assess the implementation and visitor engagement with the Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) program at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ). The program was launched in the fall of 2011, with the goal of providing zoo visitors with the opportunity to take an action during their visit and directly contribute to wildlife conservation by choosing where to allocate a portion of their zoo admission. Evaluation questions include 1) how are visitors engaging with this program; 2) what are participating visitors taking away in terms of understanding of WPZ
The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo offers a satisfying mix of interactive exhibit experiences, close-up animal viewing, and a warm, welcoming staff in a small-scale setting which makes it easily manageable for families with special needs. In recent years the JMZ has attracted and embraced this audience of often close-knit friends and organizations. In addition to an ongoing dialog with visitors at the institution, on multiple occasions JMZ has invited families to participate in community conversations to share their perspectives, experiences and suggestions.
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Wendy MeluchPalo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo
The University of Alaska Fairbanks will partner with the National Optical and Astronomy Observatory, the University of Alaska Museum of the North, and the University of Washington-Bothell to bring biomaterials, optics, photonics, and nanotechnology content, art infused experiences, and career awareness to art-interested girls. This full scale development project, Project STEAM, will explore the intersections between biology, physics, and art using advanced technologies at the nano to macro scale levels. Middle school girls from predominately underrepresented Alaskan Native, Native American (Tohono O'odham, Pascula Yaqui) and Hispanic groups, their families, teachers, and Girl Scout Troop Leaders in two site locations- Anchorage, Alaska and Tucson, Arizona will participate in the project. Centered on the theme "Colors of Nature," Project STEAM will engage girls in science activities designed to enhance STEM learning and visual-spatial skills. Using advanced technologies, approximately 240 girls enrolled in the Summer Academy over the project duration will work with women scientist mentors, teachers, and Girl Scout Troop Leaders to create artistic representations of natural objects observed at the nano and macro scale levels. Forty girls will participate in the Summer Academy in year one (20 girls per site- Alaska and Arizona). In consequent years, approximately180 girls will participate in the Academy (30 girls per site). Another 1,500 girls are expected to be reached through their Girl Scout Troop Leaders (n=15) who will be trained to deliver a modified version of the program using specialized curriculum kits. In addition, over 6,000 girls and their families are expected to attend Project STEAM Science Cafe events held at local informal science education institutions at each site during the academic year. In conjunction with the programmatic activities, a research investigation will be conducted to study the impact of the program on girls' science identity. Participant discourse, pre and post assessments, and observed engagement with the scientific and artistic ideas and tools presented will be examined and analyzed. A mixed methods approach will also be employed for the formative and summative evaluations, which will be conducted by The Goldstream Group. Ultimately, the project endeavors to increase STEM learning and interest through art, build capacity through professional development, advance the research base on girls' science identity and inspire and interest girls in STEM careers.
The National Science Festival Network project, also operating as the Science Festival Alliance, is designed to create a sustainable national network of science festivals that engages all facets of the general public in science learning. Science Festivals, clearly distinct from "science fairs", are community-wide activities engaging professional scientists and informal and K-12 educators targeting underrepresented segments of local communities historically underserved by formal or informal STEM educational activities. The initiative builds on previous work in other parts of the world (e.g. Europe, Australasia) and on recent efforts in the U.S. to create science festivals. The target audiences are families, children and youth ages 5-18, adults, professional scientists and educators in K-12 and informal science institutions, and underserved and underrepresented communities. Project partners include the MIT Museum in Cambridge, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The deliverables include annual science festivals in these four cities supported by year-round related activities for K-12 and informal audiences, a partnership network, a web portal, and two national conferences. Ten science festivals will be convened in total over the 3 years of the project, each reaching 15,000 to 60,000 participants per year. STEM content includes earth and space science, oceanography, biological/biomedical science, bioinformatics, and computer, behavioral, aeronautical, nanotechnology, environmental, and nuclear science. An independent evaluator will systematically assess audience participation and perceptions, level/types of science interest stimulated in target groups, growth of partnering support at individual sites, and increasing interactions between ISE and formal K-12 education. A variety of qualitative and quantitative assessments will be designed and utilized. The project has the potential to transform public communication and understanding of science and increase the numbers of youth interested in pursuing science.
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Loren ThompsonJeremy BabendureBen Wiehe
Magnolia Consulting, LLC conducted a formative and summative evaluation to examine public perceptions of the utility and quality of two labs/exhibits within the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Natural World Investigate Lab, Biofuels and Science of Scent. Appendix includes survey.
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North Carolina State Museum of Natural ScienceMary Styers
This report contains findings from a summative evaluation study of a set of four featured elements that comprise the new Nature Research Center of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. The elements were: 1) an exhibit, Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries; 2) Investigate Labs; 3) Daily Planet Scientist Talks; 4) Science Cafes. Evaluation was conducted as four distinct, multi-method studies to provide targeted understanding of visitor outcomes and experiences at each element. Findings across the four elements indicate that the features of the NRC are enjoyed by visitors and each supports
This is an evaluation study of a new installation of interpretive signage and eight interactives in the Jungle Trails exhibition area of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The summative evaluation is framed by the overall evaluation question: Does the Jungle Trails area facilitate learning through family interactions? To address this question, four broad sub-questions were determined as indicators of success of the project: 1. Do families engage with the interactives? 2. Do families perceive a difference in the way they interact in Jungle Trails? 3. Does the ‘family approach’ to signage
This is an evaluation study of a new installation of seven interactives in the Jungle Trails exhibition area of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. The formative evaluation is framed by the overall evaluation question: Does the Jungle Trails area facilitate learning through family interactions? To address this question, three broad sub-questions will guide the study: (1) With what interactives did family groups choose to engage and why did they choose to engage? (2) In what ways do participants engage with the interactives and why? (3) What might enhance the interpretations in ways that
Research shows that the main motivation of people who come to zoos is to have quality time with their families. At the Cincinnati Zoo, we have placed a strategic focus on becoming more visitor-focused, with a commitment to better understanding their needs in a free-choice learning environment. This includes tailoring interpretive exhibits to engage families, our primary audience. Made possible with funding from a Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, we underwent a two-year process of research, development and design, and evaluation to re-interpret the award-winning Jungle Trails exhibit with a focus on active family engagement. In Jungle Trails, guests journey along a path that winds through nearly two acres of jungle-type landscape, featuring African and Asian primates, including Sumatran orangutans, gibbons, and bonobos. The exhibit appeals to visitors' emotions and motivations through an innate connection we all have with our closest animal relatives. As they learn how primates survive in the jungle, new interpretive signage and family interactives encourage guests to wonder what it would be like if their family lived in the forest. Interactives present group challenges that our non-human primate relatives face every day. Together with their troop, guests use sticks to push a stone through a maze, test their memories to find fruit in a matching game, bang out a troop rhythm on a buttress root, and compete to see who is best at tying shoes without using their thumbs. They also try out more physical skills such as swinging across bars like a gibbon and balancing like a lemur on a mini-ropes course. Colorful and playful signage introduces guests to the animals from the first-person perspective of the animal and includes questions to prompt discussion of how the animal's life compares to their own. Interactive iPad kiosks at the orangutan, gibbon and bonobo exhibits allow them to engage deeper. Guests may choose to watch videos on taking care of the animals, read about the individual animals' personalities, learn how they can help save the species or build a super primate of their own. By the time families reach the end of the trail, they have participated in activities together that have brought them closer to their primate relatives, human and non-human. Evaluation found that families engage with the interactives as intended. When asked how they would describe Jungle Trails to a friend, the word most commonly used by guests was "fun", followed by those that indicate it was "interactive" and "educational". Once overlooked and often missed by guests, Jungle Trails is now a destination exhibit as summed up by a regular Zoo guest who noted: "I got bored with Jungle Trails. Now looking forward to coming again!" Jungle Trails received an Excellence in Exhibition Special Distinction, Exemplary Model of Creating Experiences for Social Engagement, from the American Association of Museums in 2014.
This design case explores the affordances of gigapixel image technology for science communication and learning in museum settings through the iterative development of an explorable image viewer to engage visitors in an archaeological exhibit. We reflect on the series of user studies, prototype iterations, and design decisions taken to optimize navigation, annotation and exploration in this zoomable user interface. We highlight a set of design precedents, interaction frameworks, and content structuring approaches, while detailing the development of a media rich digital annotation strategy to
In 2011, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) a Museums for America – Engaging Communities grant to explore the development of a new family exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, "Safari Adventure." Our aim with this exhibit is to provide better connections to nature for families in our community and foster a life-long sense of environmental stewardship. The exhibit concept was born of the issue that, today, there exists a greater need to connect people to nature than ever before, a topic especially relevant for our community—part of the largest urban population in the United States. The IMLS grant allowed us to take a multi-faceted approach to inform our current thoughts about useful nature exhibit practices and what resonates with our audiences. Through evaluation, prototyping, visits to other institutions, workshops, and community focus groups, we explored themes of child nature play, intergenerational learning, community engagement, and barriers to access. We are disseminating the various reports and products from this process to publicize our findings to the larger professional community. The Wildlife Conservation Society, founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society, saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. We are the world’s most comprehensive conservation organization, currently managing about 500 conservation projects in more than 60 countries and educating millions of visitors each year at our five living institutions in New York City: the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo. Our conservation programs work directly with animals such as gorillas, elephants, condors, and penguins, and we manage more than 200 million acres of protected lands around the world.